So I'm investigating Nichiren Buddhism (I'm someone who comes from a household of SGI members so I know a lot about NMRK but didn't start my own practice until recently) but I see that in this school of Buddhism, there isn't any praying or chanting to any of the bodhisattvas. Did Nichiren ever said anything about this? I remember reading that once he went to the temple, he would pray to Akasagarbha (Kokuzo) to become a wise man but this was when he was 11 or 12.

I could be totally wrong since the whole sangha where I live is the SGI and not a peep is mentioned about the bodhisattvas. I'm curious though, since I've been thinking a lot about Avalokiteśvara while chanting NMRK and have been listening to the Om mani padme hum and last night, I was thinking about Avalokiteśvara's great compassion and I just felt something. I'm pretty much confused if including Avalokiteśvara as part of my practice would be wrong considering I'd have to study more in-depth, chant the mantra perhaps (I know many recommend a teacher for these types of things) and if it would somehow be conflicting with my chanting of NMRK.

Thank you!

Last edited by emulations on Mon Sep 09, 2013 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Chapters of the Lotus Sutra are chanted in Nichiren/SGI and some chapters are dedicated to Bodhisattvas, the most famous of which is Chapter 25, a chapter dedicated to Avalokitesvara. So in a sense, this is chanting to Avalokitesvara. As for mantras, I couldn't say.

Seishin wrote:Chapters of the Lotus Sutra are chanted in Nichiren/SGI and some chapters are dedicated to Bodhisattvas, the most famous of which is Chapter 25, a chapter dedicated to Avalokitesvara. So in a sense, this is chanting to Avalokitesvara. As for mantras, I couldn't say.

Gassho,Seishin

Thank you for your reply. This is also something I've been mulling about, since Nichiren Buddhism places the Lotus Sutra at the top and there's the whole chapter dedicated to Avalokitesvara right there. From the schools I know of, however, they only chant the second and 16th chapter. But Nichiren never gave a clear format on sutra recitation from what I remember.

In Nichiren Shu, we chant all of the Lotus Sutra (not at once, mind you). I sometimes chant the verse portion of the Kanzeon chapter, so you could try that out if you wanted. Mantras associated with Kanzeon are just not done in Nichiren Buddhism, however. As far as praying to various devas and bodhisattvas, it's done all the time. They are all protectors of practitioners of the Lotus Sutra

markatex wrote:In Nichiren Shu, we chant all of the Lotus Sutra (not at once, mind you). I sometimes chant the verse portion of the Kanzeon chapter, so you could try that out if you wanted. Mantras associated with Kanzeon are just not done in Nichiren Buddhism, however. As far as praying to various devas and bodhisattvas, it's done all the time. They are all protectors of practitioners of the Lotus Sutra

Thank you for this reply! I'm glad to hear that in Nichiren Shu all of the Lotus Sutra is chanted. I will definitely look into finding the Kanzeon chapter.

Seishin wrote:It is worth noting that, although SGI has it's roots in Nichiren, it is a separate school.

Gassho,Seishin

Definitely. I'm not on board with a lot of the stuff SGI espouses but it is the only sangha I have available so I attend the weekly chanting and stuff. I do a lot of study by myself, I'm very curious to learn about what the other Nichiren schools have to say and so far, I'd love to attend a Nichiren Shu temple but for now, it's out of the question. Hence my curiosity about the roles of bodhisattvas since in SGI, they are not mentioned at all.

emulations wrote:Definitely. I'm not on board with a lot of the stuff SGI espouses but it is the only sangha I have available so I attend the weekly chanting and stuff. I do a lot of study by myself, I'm very curious to learn about what the other Nichiren schools have to say and so far, I'd love to attend a Nichiren Shu temple but for now, it's out of the question. Hence my curiosity about the roles of bodhisattvas since in SGI, they are not mentioned at all.

It is a shame they are not mentioned as they play very important roles in the Lotus Sutra, practically the only Sutra SGI venerate.

On a side note, have you thought about the Tendai School? It is the parent school of Nichiren and utilises mantras and various other prayers to the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. viewforum.php?f=64

I have peeked into Tendai and I know Nichiren greatly respected it and many of the teachings are similar, hold the Lotus Sutra as being super important, etc. However, I'm a bit in a conundrum since I'm probably one of the few non-Asian people who are offspring to practicing Buddhists and as a child, I grew up going to the SGI center, I can't remember a time of my life where I didn't know what NMRK was and I supposed Buddhism was the religion I was brought up in, specifically the SGI school. There are some good things in SGI and my parents and sister still practice it and I truly feel like Nichiren's teachings and NMRK are the best for me. If only I could get to a Nichiren Shu temple...

But anyway, I think I will add the chapter of the Lotus Sutra that's all about Avalokistesvara as part of my daily practice. I thank her/him daily these days and yesterday I gathered my guts and did 1 mala of Om mani padme hum's and it was truly wonderful. Just need more study and practice, I suppose.

Seishin wrote:Chapters of the Lotus Sutra are chanted in Nichiren/SGI and some chapters are dedicated to Bodhisattvas, the most famous of which is Chapter 25, a chapter dedicated to Avalokitesvara. So in a sense, this is chanting to Avalokitesvara. As for mantras, I couldn't say.

Gassho,Seishin

Thank you for your reply. This is also something I've been mulling about, since Nichiren Buddhism places the Lotus Sutra at the top and there's the whole chapter dedicated to Avalokitesvara right there. From the schools I know of, however, they only chant the second and 16th chapter. But Nichiren never gave a clear format on sutra recitation from what I remember.

Hi!. The Honmon Butsuyu Shu, the third largest Nichiren sect, chants the 21st Chapter of the Lotus Sutra for their daily practice.

emulations wrote:So I'm investigating Nichiren Buddhism (I'm someone who comes from a household of SGI members so I know a lot about NMRK but didn't start my own practice until recently) but I see that in this school of Buddhism, there isn't any praying or chanting to any of the bodhisattvas. Did Nichiren ever said anything about this? I remember reading that once he went to the temple, he would pray to Akasagarbha (Kokuzo) to become a wise man but this was when he was 11 or 12.

I could be totally wrong since the whole sangha where I live is the SGI and not a peep is mentioned about the bodhisattvas. I'm curious though, since I've been thinking a lot about Avalokiteśvara while chanting NMRK and have been listening to the Om mani padme hum and last night, I was thinking about Avalokiteśvara's great compassion and I just felt something. I'm pretty much confused if including Avalokiteśvara as part of my practice would be wrong considering I'd have to study more in-depth, chant the mantra perhaps (I know many recommend a teacher for these types of things) and if it would somehow be conflicting with my chanting of NMRK.

Thank you!

Nichiren said that chanting nam myoho renge kyo to the Gohonzon is the correct practice in the Latter Day of the Law.The Bodhisattvas, the Buddhas, and the rest of the ten worlds are represented on the Gohonzon.He also said that we should not seek the buddhas and bodhisattvas outside ourselves : "If you think the Law is outside yourself you are not embracing the Mystic Law but some inferior teaching." - On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime.

Since you have SGI members around you, I think asking them and studying the writings would be the place to start.My own understanding is limited, and communication online is no substitute for face to face dialogue, but I would be very happy to help any way I can.

dude wrote:Nichiren said that chanting nam myoho renge kyo to the Gohonzon is the correct practice in the Latter Day of the Law.The Bodhisattvas, the Buddhas, and the rest of the ten worlds are represented on the Gohonzon.He also said that we should not seek the buddhas and bodhisattvas outside ourselves : "If you think the Law is outside yourself you are not embracing the Mystic Law but some inferior teaching." - On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime.

Since you have SGI members around you, I think asking them and studying the writings would be the place to start.My own understanding is limited, and communication online is no substitute for face to face dialogue, but I would be very happy to help any way I can.

Hey dude,

This is all correct information. Not all the bodhisattvas are on the Gohonzon however, for example, at least in the SGI Gohonzons, Avalokiteshvara is not represented. I would ask the SGI members around me but I'm afraid I would be shut down for asking about it and I'm not even sure they know who this bodhisattva is. There's a bit of an issue in the SGI area where I come from that's there's a definite lack of study done and so, I'm mostly venturing on it solo which can be hard since I don't always understand or fully grasp certain concepts.

dude wrote:Nichiren said that chanting nam myoho renge kyo to the Gohonzon is the correct practice in the Latter Day of the Law.The Bodhisattvas, the Buddhas, and the rest of the ten worlds are represented on the Gohonzon.He also said that we should not seek the buddhas and bodhisattvas outside ourselves : "If you think the Law is outside yourself you are not embracing the Mystic Law but some inferior teaching." - On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime.

Since you have SGI members around you, I think asking them and studying the writings would be the place to start.My own understanding is limited, and communication online is no substitute for face to face dialogue, but I would be very happy to help any way I can.

Hey dude,

This is all correct information. Not all the bodhisattvas are on the Gohonzon however, for example, at least in the SGI Gohonzons, Avalokiteshvara is not represented. I would ask the SGI members around me but I'm afraid I would be shut down for asking about it and I'm not even sure they know who this bodhisattva is. There's a bit of an issue in the SGI area where I come from that's there's a definite lack of study done and so, I'm mostly venturing on it solo which can be hard since I don't always understand or fully grasp certain concepts.

Thank you for your offer [/qudte]

You're right, the four bodhisattvas of the lotus sutra are the ones on the gohonzon.We're all new to Buddhisom here in the Americas and nobody studies enough, including me, and I study a lot.

To venture an answer to your question : I'm not qualified to say, but from my reading of the Gosho, Nichiren said that reciting the sutra in its entirety is the "comprehensive practice" and reading the two chapters is the shorter version of practice, to be done as an auxiliary to chanting nam myoho ren ge kyo.

So I can't see anything wrong with reading and reciting the chapter if you want to.That chapter was instrumental to me at least once in a breakthrough of understanding, and I know what you mean about Feeling something when you read a particular passage. As if the words speak directly to a wisdom deep within my mind.

Avalokiteshvara is not on the Mandala Gohonzon (and no one knows exactly why), but considering that Samantabhadra and Manjushri are depicted, the absence is conspicuous, IMO.

Some have speculated that Nichiren Shonin didn't include Avalokiteshvara because of his/her close association with Pure Land Buddhism; others think Nichiren intended for Hariti/Kishimojin to stand in for that bodhisattva on the Mandala.